Finale Dance of the Crow
by Kagesu
Summary: 1st fan fic, plz review thanks... naruto diablo 2 crossover
1. It Crawls

Shimmering heat radiated from the ground, creating an illusion of vertigo and weightlessness. The creature was however, unaffected. Eight legs and a tail stepped slowly out of the rock outcrop.

_Unusual_

Unfazed by the heat and the shine is the sun, as if its shiny exoskeleton were a shield of reflection against its abating glare, the monstrosity of nature crept forward. Unusual, because scorpions usually skitter to avoid the heat of the desert floor.

_Not another omen _

The arachnid seemed to saunter pass him, stopping only momentarily as if to ponder the similarities it bore to the towering figure to its side. Then, as if dismissing the unimportance of the stranger, it continued its slow journey, tail waving back and forth, pincers stiff ahead.


	2. He Stood

He stood. But his feet could not be seen. The long black cloak draped over his shoulders covered him to his toes, long enough to cover but not enough to drag on the ground if he decided to walk. Black was his hair, almost as black as his piece of untreated leather. Yet as a dust twister spiraled far to his right, the wind picked out the slight band of silver and grey hidden within his long crop of hair. As the wind died back down, a shiver ran though his scalp, shifting the ruffled hair back to its original position, his fringe falling over his face, partly obscuring the only part of his body exposed to the dry heated air. The orbs seem to pulsate with a thick red flow, showing signs not the signs of his age, but the continual wariness over all the decades.

_Seen too much these eyes have. Please let this be the last._

Walls of red rock towered over him on both sides, their flimsy edges unsuitable for climbing if any fool soul would dare its sharp incline. No worry on either side for no ambush would ever work if mounted from the top. All his concentration could be focused to his front, the rest of the canyon.

_They come._

And so they did. A cloud of dust rose at the far end of the canyon, too far for him to see. Yet the marching beats of a hundred boots echoed around the chasm, rattling pebbles along the dirt ground. Puffs of dirt fell from the top of the canyon, stones and sand rolling down its sides, swirling around the dark figure, yet seemed to not touch him.

_Time._

He shifted his feet, and twisted his right side towards his back. Back muscles twitching and shoulder shrugging, a handle seemed to rise out of the back of his cloak. Rising up above the tall collar that hid the lower half of his face, a glimpse of a blade could be seen.

So could the dust cloud. With a blink and the muttering of incantations under his breath, Ezekiel steeled himself for battle.


	3. They Died

_We're making good progress. Already in the Serpentine Canyon after only 2 days of travel, with just the rest of the Lost City and its Dry Hills to go. 2 days ahead of schedule. My chance to prove to the Matriarch my worth has finally come. With the destruction of Lut Golein and its newly built fortress, the Felton, will come my final climb to the top of the Cold chain. Right hand woman of the Cold Matriarch is in sight!_

_The march is going steady even as the sun dies along the horizon. A stoppage in a canyon is just right for this section. The heat will stay with us throughout the night to warm our beds and the walls will protect us from the harsh winds of the Cold Plains. It is a good reprieve, rest after the cold and preparations for the heat. My genius knows no bounds!_

_We lost less than 10 to the Rogues of the Sightless Eye, and 94 of our number remain after decimating them. This is still more than enough to build up a Siege camp in the Rocky Waste. Final strike force strength will be 15 thousand strong, enough to crush even the armies of Zakarum and their priests._

_What? Head scouts have sighted a man in our path? Odd. Who would go solo into the __Valley__ of __Snakes__, let alone this canyon? hA! He must be some sort of self-acclaimed adventurer! Very well, if he seeks to test the strength of the new order we shall give him a taste of the frost we've brought with us!_

"Glacial Mages of Horror! Ready your magicks! It's time for target practice!"

_                                                                        ~*~_

_I've been spotted._

Ezekiel completes his incantation, his eyes glow a fierce bright red as 3 comma-like black orbs in the whites (now red) of his eyes swirl around his pupils. The pupils flush pure white, a stark contrast to the blood red glow. Veins popped out at the corner or his eyes where crow's feet of the elderly usually grow. The lines stretched out almost to his ears. Hidden by the curtain of his long fringe, the pulsating eyes see through even the thickest of rock. With a quick glance at the walls around him, he found the weakest link in the canyon walls. The hardened ground beneath his feet cracked under the pressure building up around him, a light wind circled his feet, picking up gusts of sand.

_NOW!_

                                                                        ~*~

_What the_

                                                                        ~*~

A foot kicked up and back, shooting the Kubikiri Houcho up into the air. The foot slammed back down onto the slate, shattering it. With the impact, his body became a blur of motion, shooting forward as he burst into a rapid succession of motion. His black cloak split where no seam seemed to be, arms crossed, then not. A cloud of shurikens and kunais flew their path, making a beeline for the forward mages. His hands flashing back together in a quick but organised pattern then clenched together. Blowing out the deep breath he had taken while throwing the weapons, a bust of flame shot from his mouth, splitting into 5 full blazing balls. Completing his stride, he slammed the other foot into the ground, this time sending him vertically into the air.

                                                                        ~*~

_So fast! So Fast! TOO FAST!!_

"Blood Clan!! Body Barrier!!

                                                                        ~*~

Grabbing the sword, he seemed to crouch in mid air. The chakra in his feet, so concentrated it manifested itself in the air as a crackling blue glow, propelled him further upwards with an audible '**Crack**'. The blue lightning glowed again, this time surrounding the formidable blade. Now halfway up the canyon and his blade resting across his shoulders, he jerked backwards and simultaneously swung the Kubikiri Houcho a horizontal arc, slashing the canyon wall. The chakra hardened metal bit deeply into the rock, creating a gash almost half a metre wide, 9 metres long and at least 5 metres deep. Crouching again, this time sideways against the wall, he stretched out with another audible '**Crack**' and shot to the opposite wall. Slashing ahead of him with another chakra-hardened strike, another gash was created.

_Timing, perfect._

                                                                        ~*~

_No! Not now! I'm so close! But how? How could this have happened? Who in the hell is that..._

"Retreat! Avalanche!!"

                                                                        ~*~

Flipping his body to kick off the wall once again, he felt the impact and shock of the explosion as his explosive seals tied to the kunais detonated. As ripples of the explosion travelled though the solid rock, the gashes crumbled, sending tones of rock and sand raining down onto the minions of the Cold Empire. Spreading his cloak wide open, he rode the waves of the explosion, soaring up above the opening of the canyon. With a third '**Crack**' while sheathing the massive sword, Ezekiel shot back down towards the earth, landing some 50 metres away from the horde of panicking hell spawn.

                                                                        ~*~

_Pain! Good thing the blood clan made that Body Barrier in time; otherwise I would have been incinerated. Good enough for me to escape with just scorch marks. With the path closed up, it'll make for harder travel, but I Will Return!_

_What? Why is everyone slowing down? Ahead? What's ahead?_

"Let me through you brainless tainted beasts!

                                                                        ~*~

Incantations already more than halfway out of his mouth, his right hand half clenched, as if holding a ball. Air swirled in his hand, rotating and picking up speed. Within seconds, a mini hurricane seemed to manifest itself in his hand. Without waiting for the ball to complete its strength, Ezekiel plunged it towards the ground. From years of experience, the timing was impeccable. The swirling ball of energy reached full power upon striking the explosion-weakened ground, ripping it apart from epicenter to the walls on both sides.

                                                                        ~*~

_Not Again!!_


	4. He Left

With the rocks and dust settling, Ezekiel gave a sharp stamp of his foot, shaking off dust from his cloak, returning his hair to its original position as his cloak flowed to surround his body again, seamless, perfect.

                                                                        ~*~

_NO!! 17 remain, all wounded, all trapped! Avalanche on both sides, capping us in. But never the mind, I Coldcrow, will return to the Plains, defeated, but not dead. Another army of the undead will arise. I Will be back. Bone Ash had better be right about that cave leading to an opening at the other side of the canyon._

The Dark Ranger lead the rest of her army, following the Burning Dead Mage into the cave opening, oblivious to the dust-streaked Serpentine Statues on both sides of the open mouth.

                                                                        ~*~

He stood, waiting.

He left, but only after the screams and curses finally died down.

_Fangskin and his minions must be Starved to actually consume that undead flesh._

                                                                        ~End~

yEa~ that's it for my 1st battle scene. I actually have a lot more in my head. But here's a note regarding the scene.

For the Naruto Fans:

Yes, the blue lightning Is Chidori by Kakashi. Ezekiel used it to 1) reinforce the air and hardened it so he could jump off it and 2) harden his blade so it could cut that deep into the solid rock.

Yes the Kubikiri Houcho is Zabuza's. I actually wanted to use Sanosuke's Zan batou, but I couldn't think up a full rurounin kenshin battle scene, so I thought up a Naruto one instead.

Yes the Swirling wind in Ezekiel's hand was the Resengan. Nuff said about that...

For the Diablo 2 players:

Sorry couldn't think of any other names fitting for Diablo 2, so I just used the names I ripped off from the game. They're the 3 super unique monsters. Coldcrow's from The Cave in Act 1 and Bone Ash is in the Cathedral in the same act. Fangskin's from Act 2, in the Claw Viper Temple

Also, and this is something I wanna progress with in a few more battle scenes. The sightless eye has fallen to the minions of the new order, for lack of a better name, 'The Cold Order'. The matriarch is a new character I'm still building up, so no exposure here. Look out for more d2/anime crossovers to find out the story.


End file.
